A Tale of Prison and Lies
by HardRockPrincess
Summary: Kyla Black was born almost three months before the famous Harry Potter. Being Sirius Black's daughter has never been easy, socially or emotionally. But Kyla's life takes a turn for the worst when her father breaks out of Azkaban and is said to be coming after her best friend, Harry Potter. Kyla must decide what to believe and who to trust when it comes to her father. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue: Sirius's Worst Mistake

**May 3, 1980**

It has been two days since Sirius Black's daughter was born and he was now holding her lovingly in his arms. Kyla Alexia Black is her name. He had fretted so much about being a father. He had almost no experience with children, except for the few times he babysat seven-year-old Nymphadora Tonks, who preferred to be known by her surname. And even those few times were disastrous, well to Andie. Little Dora loved all her mischievous fun with "Uncle Sirius". Andie however, berated Sirius loudly that he was being irresponsible and immature with her daughter. If he was that bad in just a few days with his second cousin, how could he be able to be a father forever?

But the minute he saw his daughter's innocent, beautiful, and excited face, all his worries dissolved and he knew he would be a good father to this girl. He would raise her right, he would be supportive, he would be as mature as he could be (well maybe more mature than he could be), and he would never ever hurt her the way his own parents had done to him.

He and Martina moved into a small cottage in Hogsmeade. Times have been unbelievably stressful and dangerous with the war against Lord Voldemort (or Lord Who-Won't-Leave-Us-Alone as Sirius would call him). But Kyla was the one hope Sirius, Martina and the rest of their friends had during these strenuous times.

"She's beautiful Sirius," said his wife, Martina with happy tears sparkling in her blue eyes.

"I know. She looks so much like you Marty," said Sirius, tears in his own grey eyes.

"She has your eyes though, and she has the same mischievous smile you do. We are going to be busy with this one," said Martina, with a small chuckle.

"I know, she is the daughter of a Marauder after all," said Sirius, flauntingly.

"We will have such wonderful times with our little girl," cooed Martina.

"If it weren't for Voldemort, we would probably be able to take her anywhere," said Sirius, grimly. Martina nodded, and then out of nowhere, she collapsed on the couch sobbing.

"Please tell me those are tears of happiness," pleaded Sirius, worriedly.

"Sirius _what _were we _thinking_? Having a daughter in the middle of a war?" cried Martina.

"Martina, we're all going to be fine. Lily and James will be fine, Alan will be fine, Kyla will be fine, and we too will be fine," said Sirius, trying to be as comforting as he could be.

"And what if we're not?" Martina choked out. "What happens if we die? Who's going to take care of her?"

"Alan will take care of her, so will Lily and James. Ted and Andie will pitch in too with help from Remus and Peter," said Sirius, confidently.

Martina sniffed and managed to pull herself together. She had been dreading this ever since she found out she was pregnant. She and her best friend Lily Potter nee Evans, who was pregnant and due in July, have been worrying about what would happen if they were to die and leave their babies alone in the world.

"I know, but I can't stop worrying," confessed Martina.

"Don't worry we will do everything we can," said Sirius. Martina managed to smile. She knew that Sirius had the right idea. She shouldn't worry herself so much because no matter what, Kyla will be loved. But she couldn't stop dreading all the possible things that could go wrong.

~000~

**October 20, 1981**

Sirius was pacing the floorboards in his living room while Martina was feeding Kyla lunch. He had ordered a meeting with Lily and James Potter, and their friend Peter Pettigrew. He didn't know how well this plan would be but he hoped it would help Lil and James, along with their son, Harry. As much as he hated not including Remus Lupin in this meeting, he didn't trust him as much as he used to. Remus hadn't been acting himself, he never told anyone where he went, and he snapped at anyone who tried to interrogate him. All these actions gave signs that he was Lord Voldemort's spy, and therefore a traitor.

Sirius couldn't believe the war had gotten so bad he had been driven to the point of no longer trusting one of his friends. It pained him to believe Remus was a traitor, but he read the signs, and signs of treachery pointed towards Remus.

He also felt a great deal of hatred toward Voldemort for daring to try to come after Lily and James, for Harry had become one of Voldemort's main targets. He was an innocent child for Merlin's sake! He had done nothing to that snake who dared to call himself a Lord. His thoughts were interrupted when Lily, James, and Peter came in through the door.

"We got your owl Sirius. What's so important?" asked Lily, trying to catch her breath as though she had run here.

"First, close the front door and lock it. Martina and I have already locked all the windows, the back door, and pulled all the shades in the house. I don't want any possible spies to hear this," said Sirius, urgently. Lily did as she was told.

"Okay the door is locked. What is so important?" Lily asked again. Martina came in to join the three men and one lady in the living room.

"I've just put Kyla down for her nap. Is everybody here?" asked Martina. Sirius nodded and Lily asked once more what was so important.

"I know that you two wanted me to be the Secret Keeper," said Sirius. Lily and James nodded their heads as if it were obvious. "Well I don't think I should be."

"Why not? You're my best friend, Padfoot! You've never betrayed anyone, you're not easily manipulated, and you even said you would rather die than betray us!" exclaimed James.

"Yes but that's the problem. The fact that I am your loyal best friend would mean that Voldemort would come after me first. I'm an obvious choice for being a Secret Keeper. No one would suspect Peter, so I think you should make him your Secret Keeper," said Sirius.

"Me?" questioned Peter.

"Yes, you Peter. You're our friend too. I trust you enough to keep this secret. You would never rat James and Lily out," said Martina, encouragingly.

"Oh of course not! They're my friends, practically family! I could never—"

"We know, you wouldn't, Peter. We trust you," said Lily with just as much confidence.

"How come Remus isn't here?" asked James.

"You know how we've been suspecting a spy in the Order?" asked Sirius. Lily, James, and Peter nodded. "I think Remus is the spy. And the reason is," said Sirius before James could object, "is that he hasn't been himself. He is always sneaking off somewhere, he never tells us where he's going, and he snaps at anyone who asks him."

"Sirius, you can't possibly believe—"

"I don't want to, but we can't take any chances. Will you make Peter the Secret Keeper?" pleaded Sirius.

James didn't know about this idea. Sure, Sirius was an obvious choice, but he knew Sirius would never tell Voldemort anything concerning them. But then again, if Sirius cracked under interrogation—no he would never! His friend was stronger than that. However Sirius did have a point. No one would ever suspect Peter being the spy. He hated to admit it, but Peter is too weak and sensitive for anyone to suspect him of something this important. Peter was also very loyal to him and he had just as much faith in Peter as he did Sirius. Finally he nodded. Peter Pettigrew would become their Secret Keeper.

~000~

**October 31, 1981**

After getting over the heartbreak at finding out his best friend and his best friend's wife was murdered, Sirius Black was livid. He could not believe he missed the signs of treachery that pointed to Peter. He hated himself for suggesting making Peter the Secret Keeper. How could he have been so stupid!?

He soon found Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus form, trying to run away. The moment he thought it was safe, Peter transformed. Big mistake.

"WORMTAIL YOU TRAITOR GET OVER HERE!" shouted Sirius. Peter whipped around and started shaking.

"Wh-wh-what do you want Sirius?" squeaked Peter.

"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I WANT! WHY DID YOU DO IT? THEY WERE YOUR FRIENDS AND YOU BETRAYED THEM YOU—"

"Sirius stop!" shouted a female voice. Sirius turned around and found Martina running toward him. He didn't realize she followed him. Did she want as much revenge as he did, or did she come to keep him from doing something stupid? Knowing Martina he had to go with the latter.

"Martina what—"

"Sirius I know what you're planning to do and the answer is no. You can't kill him," Martina pleaded, but Sirius was beyond reason.

"He deserves it," Sirius snarled. "He deserves to die! The filthy rat got Lily and James killed! They were his friends and—"

"I know what he's done! But let the Ministry deal with him! If you kill him you'll—"

"I"LL BE AVENGING LILY AND JAMES'S DEATHS!" shouted Sirius.

"YOU'LL BE IN AZKABAN! AZKABAN WILL RUIN YOU!" shouted Martina. Sirius was going to retort, but Peter started screaming too, louder than both Sirius and Martina.

"HOW COULD YOU SIRIUS? LILY AND JAMES SIRIUS! HOW COULD YOU?" shouted Peter. Several Muggles had already woken up and had just witnessed Peter accusing Sirius of betraying his friends.

"HOW DARE YOU!" shouted Sirius.

"Sirius stop! Please!" pleaded Martina, tears shimmering in her eyes. Stepped right in front of Sirius and attempted to hold him back.

"Get out of my way Martina! He deserves this!" shouted Sirius.

"WHAT ABOUT KYLA? WHAT WILL SHE DO WITHOUT HER FATH—"

**BANG!**

Sirius and Martina were blown backwards. Sirius choked on dust and rubble and looked to see Peter escape into the sewers in his Animagus form. All that was left were blood-stained robes and a finger. He looked around to find several Muggles screaming and about a dozen bodies lifeless on the ground.

Peter Pettigrew had framed Sirius for killing himself and twelve Muggles with a Baslting Curse. Sirius felt around for Martina. The moment he found her, he saw she was not moving either. She was limp on the hard jagged concrete with blood trickling from underneath her blonde hair.

He tried to wake her up, screaming and sobbing at the same time. She didn't wake up or speak. Martina Black was dead too. Sirius let out a loud scream, similar to one of a dying animal. He screamed himself hoarse and a second later, he began to laugh.

It was a mad, insane, mirthless laugh with no happiness whatsoever. It was the laugh of a man who had just lost everything. The sound of Apparition reached his ears and about twenty Aurors were surrounding him.

Ministry official Bartemius Crouch Sr. was pointing his wand at Sirius's heart.

"Sirius Black! Lower your wand or we will aim to kill!" he shouted threateningly. Two Aurors seized his arms and bound them behind his back, yet his deranged laughter went on.

_Kyla, Harry, I'm so sorry. I failed as your guardians. But I will see you two again and you both will know the truth._


	2. Ch One: Girl Fights and More Trouble

**I am very sorry for the inconvenience that happened with this story. Somehow the site stopped letting me see the story, so I had to delete it, but I forgot I could recover deleted stories with the reviews left behind. I hope this won't happen again. Most of the story is from Kyla's POV. I will give notice if the POV changes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters! All of it belongs to J. K. Rowling. Kyla, Martina, and whatever characters that you don't find in the canon story.**

Thirteen-year-old Kyla Black was having one of those days where thoughts plagued her mind and refused to let her get up from her bed. Kyla used to get up at 8:30 a.m. The days where she had to go to the lake, go fishing, and take the fish to the local outdoor market made her prone to being an early riser. Those times were what Kyla called the "dark ages" when her uncle Alan Cambridge, her deceased mother's brother, fell bankrupt after being fired from his and she forced herself to work to get more money and so no one would find out about their condition. However, Ted and Andromeda Tonks eventually found out. Much to her relief, they didn't take her out of Alan's custody, but instead, got small Muggle jobs on weekends and sent the money to Alan. Thankfully Alan had managed to get a job at the drugstore five minutes from her house. The job wasn't wonderful, but it was sure as hell better than being jobless. She hadn't had to go to the market to sell fish ever since she went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry two years ago.

It was a nice break, but she also felt as though the lack of work, in her honest opinion, had made her quite lazy since she began waking up 9:30, one hour later than she used to, for the past two years. Most teenagers would consider that early and get out of bed at 10:30 or 11:00, but for Kyla, it was too late. She kept trying to force herself to get up at 8:30, but she didn't have any energy by then and just settled with getting up at 9:30.

But every day this week, she slept until at least 10:45 because she couldn't get over the horrific events from last week. Kyla visited her father, Sirius Black, in Azkaban, a wizard prison. Normally visits to Azkaban were prohibited unless she had a relative working at the Ministry of Magic. Thankfully she did. Andromeda Tonks nee Black was her father's cousin and her daughter, Nymphadora Tonks, who preferred to go by her surname, was twenty years old and was now an official Auror.

Twelve years ago during the First Wizarding War, Sirius was the Secret Keeper to Lily and James Potter, who were targets to the main enemy, Lord Voldemort and the parents to her best friend Harry Potter. It turns out that Sirius was working as a double-agent for Voldemort and betrayed his best friends to him, resulting in Harry becoming an orphan. A man named Peter Pettigrew, a friend of the Potters and former friend of Sirius, confronted Sirius about his treachery. Martina Black, Kyla's mother, had caught up to Sirius and tried to stop him from killing anyone else. And with one curse, he blew Peter, Martina, and twelve other Muggles to bits with no hesitation and no remorse.

Kyla hated him for it. She hated that she had to carry this burden on her shoulders for the rest of her life. Why did she have to have a murderer for a father? How could he have killed fourteen innocent people with no sense of remorse or humanity? Why couldn't she be able to spend time with Harry, without knowing it was _her _father that got his parents killed? This just added to the reasons why she felt fate was out to get her.

But now that wasn't her only problem. Yesterday Alan received the Daily Prophet and the most wonderful news was announced (sarcasm)! Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban and he was sure to come after her and Harry.

The last few nights she had nightmares of Azkaban and its eerie walls blocking off any and all sunlight, the agonizing screams of the prisoners, the stench of dirt, blood, and rotting flesh mixed in one, but worst of all, the icy chill from the hooded figures called Dementors feeding off of whatever happiness anyone had inside of them. And last night after she heard the news of the breakout, she was haunted with the nightmare of her father blowing her friends and family (whatever was left of it) to bits, laughing maniacally, and she was bound in chains, unable to do anything but watch them die.

It was that very reason why it was 11:30 a.m. and Kyla Black was still in bed. She just stared at some fixed point on the ceiling thinking about her father, what he might do, and how many more people he might hurt. Even Muggles were given warning about him. They were told that he was carrying a Muggle weapon called a gun because they couldn't be told he was a wizard since it would expose wizardry.

A feeling of dread came over her as she thought about how she was going to tell Harry what her father did to his parents. Would Harry stop talking to her and act as though it were her fault? It would be completely unfair to her, but she would understand if he did. She would be lucky to have any friends at all by the end of this year.

However, this was not the only feeling overtaking her. When she visited her father in Azkaban, he wasn't screaming from the pain the Dementors caused, although his face was the most frightening thing she had ever seen with his long, dirty matted hair, yellow and rotting teeth, and pale, emaciated face that could rival a vampire's. She hadn't gotten any answers to why he committed such crimes, not that she had been expecting any. But what he had said unnerved her.

"_Kyla, if I could tell you everything, and I mean _everything _that really happened that night I would. But I don't have any proof with me to back it up. But I want you to know that the real rat behind everything that happened that night and everything after, still walks amongst you," said Sirius._

"You're _the real rat! I don't believe you," snarled Kyla._

"_I know you don't, but what I'm saying is true whether you want to believe it or not. If I ever get out of here, you will know the truth," he said sadly._

She didn't know how much longer she stayed in her bed, but she eventually found the energy to force herself out of bed. Apparently it seems that she still didn't have 100 percent of her energy because she rolled off her bed and fell onto the floor. With whatever strength she had, she forced herself up from the floor and into the bathroom. Before she entered the bathroom she looked at the clock which read 11:57.

With a groan she murmured to herself, "It's almost noon and I still feel like a zombie."

She took one look in the mirror and her blonde hair was uncombed and practically a rat's nest. After she brushed her teeth and hair, and put on a navy blue shirt with jeans, she headed downstairs for breakfast, or in this case lunch. Alan Cambridge was reading the Daily Prophet and looked up.

"Good morning Alan," said Kyla, still tired.

"Morning? It's after twelve o'clock," said Alan slightly amused, yet worried.

"I didn't sleep well last night," said Kyla, deadpanned.

"Is this about…" Alan trailed off. Kyla gave him an annoyed look. While she was glad he was being tactful about her father's prison breakout, she also didn't want him walking on eggshells about it.

"If you're going to say anything about the prison breakout, just come out and say it because I'm not sensitive," said Kyla as though it were obvious.

"I know, it's just… well, I'm still worried about you," said Alan, sincerely.

"I know you are, but I can handle myself just fine," said Kyla.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Alan.

"No," said Kyla immediately.

"Kyla," groaned Alan.

"I don't want to discuss the subject of my father. I already know what he's done and what he might do, and I am not going to start pouring my heart out just because I feel like a freak with a dead mother and a maniacal father! I don't want to talk about how I'm scared about what my friends will say once they found out what my father has done, and how the whole school will shun me over the sins of Daddy Dearest, or—"

"Kyla, if you keep this bottled up inside, you'll go mad. You're already shouting at me because you're stressed and—"

"I am not stressed! You know what? I'm going for a walk!" Kyla exploded. Ignoring Alan's protests, she grabbed her jacket and a copy of _The Tales of Beetle the Bard, _and stormed out. She kept walking and walking, not knowing or caring where she was going. All she knew was she was angry and needed to get away.

Eventually when she reached the local town park, she calmed down enough to realize how immature and selfish she was earlier with Alan. He was only trying to help her. All he ever was to her was kind and she never felt as though she ever truly repaid him. She also didn't walk to talk about her worries to Alan because he has already suffered enough troubles, yet he never complained about them to her.

She sat down on the park bench and read _The Fountain of Fair Fortune _in _The Tales of Beetle the Bard. _It was about three witches who go to a fountain that opens once every year to allow a wizard or witch to bathe in the water and win "fair fortune forever more." Right now, she wished that the Fountain of Fair Fortune really existed because she wanted the Fountain to restore the confidence that she is nothing like her father and that she has nothing to do with him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling. Her stomach might have dropped right out through her backside if that were even possible at the sight not that far away from her. Her enemy from primary school, Rachel Hills, was here with her so-called friends: Hannah, Sherry, Jaden, and Ester. She hadn't forgotten how these five girls made her life hell. Kyla was a Seer, unfortunately, and the first time she had a vision was in kindergarten during class, and her teacher called on her. Everyone probably would have forgotten about this except these girls made fun of her for the rest of the year and soon, she was known as the stupid girl who pulled blank looks. In the wizard world, these visions have saved Harry, Ron, and Hermione's arses several times. But in the Muggle world, they didn't belong. The downside of being a Seer is that the visions are random and she can never prepare for them.

Kyla ducked down hopping they wouldn't recognize her, but luck was not on her side today.

"Kyla Black! Is that you?" shouted Rachel. Kyla looked up to find Rachel's freckly face leering over her.

"What do you want Rachel?" asked Kyla, emotionless.

"Well don't be rude! I just wanted to see how you were doing," said Rachel is obvious false kindness. Kyla hated being around this creature, and how resorted to feeling weak and helpless. However, years at Hogwarts have been improving her self-confidence a lot. "Surely you're not so stupid that you can't tell when I want to be nice to you?"

"Do you?" asked Kyla deadpanned.

"No," boasted Rachel and her cronies laughed hysterically, despite it not being at all witty or clever. Kyla simply rolled her eyes.

"Hey what is that you're reading, Black? Is it a book for kids with hopeless cases of stupidity?" asked Hannah, tauntingly. Kyla at first dismissed this, but then realized she was holding a wizard's fairy tale book in the presence of Muggles. She could get in trouble with the Ministry for this! Why didn't she think of that before she left the house with a wizard book!? The answer: she wasn't thinking _period. _

"It's nothing!" Kyla panicked and desperately tried to hide the put, but luck was still out to get her when Rachel snatched the book out of her hands. She at first flipped through it carelessly, but soon she scrunched up her pretty face in confusion and suspicion. Kyla was _so_ dead.

"Wait a minute? How come this book is filled with wizards as main characters? And why is the author talking about magic like it's a normal thing? And where is this place 'Diagon Alley'? There is no store with that name," she asked in confusion.

Kyla sat rooted to the spot. Rachel had a lot of traits that were negative but stupidity—unfortunately in this situation—was not on the list. Things went from bad to worse when a small piece of parchment fell out of the book. Kyla knew that piece of parchment had spells written on them, along with how to pronounce them and wand waving movements for each of them. Rachel read it through, widened her eyes, and stared at Kyla as though she had just kicked a puppy (though Kyla doubted Rachel cared if animals got hurt).

"You're practicing witchcraft," hissed Rachel. It wasn't a question, more like a statement. Kyla knew she would have figured it out. But she had to keep denying it so they wouldn't ever confirm it.

"You're going mad, Hills. There's no such thing," said Kyla in her best attempt to sound offended.

"This parchment has spells and wand movements written all over it. That is the very definition of witchcraft!" exclaimed Rachel, looking torn between disgust and fear. Kyla stood up defensively.

"Maybe it was some rubbish someone else wrote and put in the book! Witchcraft doesn't exist and even if it did _I _certainly wouldn't be practicing it!" yelled Kyla, trying to look braver than she felt.

"It's in _your _handwriting! You're a witch!" shouted Rachel. All of Rachel's friends stood behind her ready to attack.

"How would you even know what my handwriting looks like, huh? You barely even looked at me at all in primary school unless it was to glare, sneer, or taunt!" yelled Kyla again, although a little higher than usual.

"I was forced to work with you in fifth grade on that stupid science project on astronomy, the one we got a C+ on because you couldn't tell the difference between a meteor and an asteroid!" shouted Rachel, louder than usual. Kyla had nothing to say to that.

Kyla would usually prepare to fight, but now she was prepared to run away. She wouldn't be scared of getting beat up if it was a fair fight one-on-one. She had gotten into plenty of fights at school because of Rachel and from delinquents on her streets. But even in a fair fight one-on-one with the opponents equal-sized, she could throw a few punches and kicks in, but it was never powerful enough to prevent her opponent from overpowering her. She did not want to find out what would happen to her if she fought five-against-one. She looked around her area to find some way to run without running into Rachel's gang.

"Do you want to know what happens to girls who practice magic?" said Jaden, threateningly as she rolled her sleeves up, preparing to fight. Kyla backed up all the way into the park fence. It was only about an inch above her waist and she could jump high.

"I guess I'll never find out," said Kyla, and she grabbed the fence railing and flung herself over. She broke into a sprint and ran down the streets. She could hear the shouts and running feet of the girls behind her gaining on her like a wolf would hunt its prey. She had absolutely no idea where she was going, only that she knew it take forever for her to get home. She soon spotted a small forest and ran into it. She could still hear girls behind her and she was beginning to fall victim of fatigue. But she still kept running and running until her legs felt numb and her sides cramped up.

Unfortunately her five opponents eventually caught up to her. Ester and Sherry pinned Kyla's arms behind her back, and Jaden landed a first blow to her stomach. Kyla doubled over in pain and Hannah kicked her in the same spot. Rachel then gave a hard punch on the left side of Kyla's face—she was sure there would be a nasty bruise there for days. They kept kicking and punching her in the sides, arms, legs, anywhere. Suddenly, it seemed that luck was finally on her side.

All six girls heard growling and Kyla turned around to see a large black dog baring his teeth at them. It let out a menacing bark, and Ester and Sherry practically dropped Kyla to the ground as all five girls ran away screaming. Kyla lay on the ground, in too much pain to properly move. The dog kept chasing the girls, and scaring them in the process, until they were out of sight and saw no more reason to chase them.

Kyla forced herself up and leaned against the tree to check for injuries. Everything hurt so badly that arms were in pain from pushing herself up. There were several nasty bruises all along her arms and legs. There was a bruise the size of a tea kettle on the left side of her abdomen. She also knew her face had a bruise taking up most of the right side of her face. However there were no broken bones anywhere. The injuries weren't wonderful, but they could have been much worse.

The black dog approached her with worry in its eyes. After seeing how he acted with those five girls, she didn't know how close she should get.

"G-get back!" she demanded fearfully. The dog still approached her which did not help her fears.

"Don't hurt me! Please!" she pleaded. She felt utterly pathetic begging for mercy with a dog who probably didn't understand a word she said. It kept approaching her and she covered her face with her arms. She expected to be attacked, mauled, whatever the dog would do. But instead, the dog laid its head on her lap like it would want her to pet him.

Kyla lowered her arms cautiously and slowly put her hand on the dog's head, before scratching it playfully behind the ear.

"Aw, you're not such a mean monster are you?" she cooed. And it barked, as though it gave off some kind of laugh. She continued to pet and play with the dog for who knows how long.

She must have dozed off at some point because when she slowly lifted her head and found herself in a bed that she could almost swear was moving. She looked up and she was on a bus with several other beds! She looked around and soon she was face to face with a man who couldn't be older than nineteen with long ears and serious case of acne.

"Hello sweetheart! Welcome to the Knight Bus!" he exclaimed.

"Who are you and where am I?" Kyla asked, nervously.

"Name's Stan Shunpike, and I already tol' you, this is the Knight Bus!" he exclaimed, and the bus took a sharp turn, knocking Kyla out of bed.

"How did you find me here?" she asked incredulously, while trying and failing to stand up.

"Is transportation for underage wizards like yourself. We find pick up lost underage wizards," he explained. They took another sharp turn and the momentum forced Kyla face first onto the windows.

"Who's driving this thing!?" yelled Kyla, frightened.

"How's it goin' Ern!?" yelled Stan.

An elderly man with glasses turned around and yelled back, "Just fine!" before sending Kyla flat on her back. She tried to stand up again and held tightly onto the bed railing.

"Don't the Muggles see us?" she yelled, while her ears were popping.

"Them, they don' see or hear nuttin'!" he yelled. They sped in between cars, and it seems the Muggles didn't see them at all.

"Does this bus going anywhere?" she asked.

"Oh absolutely!" he exclaimed, excitedly.

"I need you… to take me… to 81 Chestnut… Road," said Kyla, gasping in between words as she tried to keep herself standing upright.

"No problem-o!" he exclaimed. She felt as though she were going two hundred miles per hours as the speed of the bus caused her flesh to go flat against her bones and she was sure she was going to throw up if the bus didn't stop soon. It didn't come soon enough but Kyla finally arrived home. She walked clumsily off the bus and nearly landed flat on the concrete sidewalk due to dizziness.

"I hope to see you again!" called Stan.

"I don't," grumbled Kyla. As the Knight Bus took off, Kyla looked at her watch that read 6:39. Had she been out for almost seven hours!? Alan must have been worried sick! And to make matters worse, her copy of _The Tales of Beetle the Bard _was left on the Knight Bus! That book was the only thing keeping her mind off of the dangers that were soon to come. She stumbled into the house panting and shaking.

"Alan! I'm so sorry I'm late! I—"

Alan walked in with an unusually happy face that seemed quite unnatural.

"Kyla dear! How was your walk?" he exclaimed with elation that seemed quite forced.

"Walk? What are you talking about? I've been gone for hou—"

But suddenly, his face turned scared and worried.

"Someone's here to see you," he said, in a low, frightened voice, "someone from the Wizarding World."

Kyla looked on in confusion as two wizards stepped from behind Alan. One of them was tough-looking with wiry hair and glared down at her. The other one was tall, dark-skinned, and despite being bigger than the former, he seemed kinder. That maybe because he wasn't studying her like a dangerous insect like the other one.

"Come with us Miss Black," said the dark one. The two wizards ushered her into her study room and someone was sitting in the room reading a book.

"Hello. You wanted to see me?" Kyla asked, still confused.

"Yes. We have very important matters to discuss," he said. He put the book down and Kyla's stomach dropped at the sight of a pudgy man wearing black wizard robes, a green bowler hat, and a glare.

Cornelius Fudge, Minster of Magic, was in her house.

And if he was in her house, she was in major trouble.


	3. Ch Two: Ministers and Dementors

**I probably won't be updating for weeks or months with school, but I'll look for any spare time to update any of my stories. Enjoy!**

Kyla's head was spinning. At least that's what it felt like. Why is Cornelius Fudge in her house? Did he find out about her almost exposing the wizard world to muggles? Granted, it was very stupid of her, but come on! It couldn't have been _that _serious. She hadn't actually performed magic in front of the muggle girls that made her life hell all of primary school.

"Sit down," Fudge said in a low, condescending tone. She did sit, but Fudge kept glaring at her as though she just stabbed somebody.

"Hello minister," said Kyla, as politely as she could manage. She was still scared, and even a little irritated, at the minister's sudden appearance. Surely he had better things to do than visit some thirteen-year-old girl's house, right?

"We have a lot to discuss," he repeated.

"So you've said," scoffed Kyla. She regretted saying this when the minister's glare intensified. Her smart mouth has always been the bane of many peoples' existences, even her own.

"I'm assuming you've heard of your father's escape from Azkaban prison right?" he asked in a clipped tone.

"Yes," she said lowly. _Oh please, please don't let this visit be about what I think it is!_

"We are still investigating how he broke out—"

"Shouldn't you be more focused on looking for him?" asked Kyla, still irritated. She knew it wasn't very smart of her to be talking back to the Minister of Magic, but he has already invaded her house and is treating her like she's scum on the bottom of his shoes.

"We _are _looking for him Miss Black," he growled, "but we also have to investigate _how _he did it to prevent any other breakouts like his," he stated eyeing her with caution.

"What does that have to do with me?" asked Kyla, not bothering to keep irritation out of her voice. At this point, she is beyond trying to be polite with this man. Granted, she wasn't polite to begin with, but this time she wasn't even going to attempt.

"_You _were the last person to see him before he broke out. And considering he couldn't have possibly escaped without help, you do know what this leads me to believe right?" he asked, accusingly. Her fears have been confirmed. He thinks she helped Sirius Black out of Azkaban because she was the last person to see him _and _because she's his daughter.

"Sir I haven't helped him out of Azkaban. _I _don't even know how he broke out!" exclaimed Kyla.

"I certainly didn't expect you to admit it," he stated, annoyed. _Well I didn't expect you to accuse a thirteen-year-old girl of helping a criminal out of Azkaban when no one has ever done it before, _she thought bitterly.

"There's nothing to admit! All I did was visit him and I left after talking for a few minutes!" Kyla yelled standing up from her chair.

"Sit down," he ordered, as if she was a misbehaved dog.

"No this is _my _house that _you _are not welcome in! I never helped my father out of Azkaban! I don't even know _how _to do that! I haven't even started my third year at Hogwarts yet!" Kyla shouted.

"You are not helping you case, Black, if you have resorted to throwing a temper tantrum at the minister. If you didn't do it, why are you so defensive?" growled the wiry-haired Auror.

"I'm defensive because he is accusing of something I didn't do! You know for any Auror you aren't that bright!" Kyla growled back at him. He made an angry move toward her, but the dark skinned Auror stopped him.

"Dawlish, don't. Let me handle this," the dark Auror said. The Auror she now knew as "Dawlish" stepped back but glared at her. The dark skinned Auror stepped toward her but didn't have the same disgusted look the other two had. "First miss, you need to calm down. I understand you're angry but yelling at the Minister and calling Dawlish stupid won't help your case," he said calmly. The fact that he seemed like he was trying to help Kyla promoted her to nod and sit back down.

"I'm sorry sir," said Kyla.

"Don't worry about it," he reassured her. He then turned towards Fudge. "Sir, don't you think this is preposterous? Miss Black is thirteen and is just out of her second year at Hogwarts. Even if she wanted to help Sirius Black out of prison she wouldn't have the knowledge or maturity to do so," said the dark Auror.

"I have heard all kinds of things about her. People say she has her father's temper and impatience and can be quite violent! Her relatives, the Lestranges were capable of murder when they were thirteen—"

"That has nothing to do with the situation at hand," said the dark Auror firmly.

"I have witnesses saying she slipped something into her father's cell, Kingsley!" shouted Fudge, whose pudgy face now gave Kyla the impression of a round beet. Kyla once again felt stupid. She was carrying a _Daily Prophet _newspaper she read because her friend, Ron Weasley's, family was on the cover of it. Arthur Weasley, Ron's father, got a promotion at the Ministry and was in the paper. Her father asked to see it so he could do the crossword puzzle. What if there was anything in that paper that could've given him some hint of breaking out?

Kingsley turned to her and asked, "Is that true?"

Kyla gulped and looked up at him and saw dread in Kingsley's eyes. She did slip something into her father's cell. But she didn't want to admit it because Kingsley was the only one here trying to stick up for her. If she told them the truth, would she lose his support? But she couldn't lie to Ministry officials, let alone two Aurors and the Minister himself.

"I slipped a newspaper into his cell," she said meekly. The minister smiled in triumph which goaded her into speaking more, "I did it because he wanted to do the crossword puzzle! Whether or not it had anything to do with his breakout, I don't know! But if that was the case, I'm sorry, but you can't penalize me for that!" she stated as if this settled it.

The minister looked as though he considered what she had said was true, but he shook his head and seemed to dismiss her words.

"Whether you meant to or not, the fact still remains that you might've played a massive role in Sirius Black's breakout. The only thing keeping me from shipping you to Azkaban now is the fact that you are only thirteen years of age and much too young. But just so you know, I'm watching you very closely and if I get solid evidence that you are in league with your father, you will be taken to trial at the Ministry and then we'll decide what to do with you," he said, with finality in his voice.

"How closely are you watching me?" Kyla asked.

"Let me just say, we have found that muggle girl Rachel Hills and her friends and erased their memories of anything you showed them about our world," he said, before he called for Kingsley and Dawlish to escort him back to the Ministry of Magic and with one swish, the three men Disapparated.

Kyla felt like she would be sick. Well, she shouldn't because she had nothing to hide from them, but that didn't stop the pit from growing in her stomach and questions from flooding her mind. Had slipping that newspaper into Sirius Black's cell provoked him to breakout? Was there something in that newspaper to give him any hint on how to break out? Was it really her fault? And better yet, will he come after Harry? Alan? Or even Kyla herself? Unfortunately these were not the types of questions where she could just ask her best friend, Hermione Granger, and have the answer in less than ten seconds. These were questions none of her friends will ever be able to truly answer or understand.

If the students at Hogwarts hate her because of this breakout, she's afraid to admit it, but she won't exactly blame them. Her fellow students weren't too friendly with her for the first two years at Hogwarts, but much to her relief, Harry always managed to attract enough attention to himself (unintentionally of course) and people generally left her alone. But this year, the students will make her life hell.

Kyla gripped her stomach tightly in futile attempts to keep the contents down and collapsed into a chair. Alan came into the room looking worried.

"I heard everything they said," he told her.

"That's not what I'm worried about. What if I _did _play a part in my dad's breakout?!" she asked, close to becoming hysterical.

"There's no way you could have. Slipping a newspaper into his cell is not enough to break him out of Azkaban," he stated as if it were obvious.

"You don't _get _it!" shrieked Kyla, who was now hysterical. "There could have been _anything_ in that newspaper! Anything! Anything that could have given him ideas to escape! Do you have any idea what havoc he could wreak?!" Kyla yelled. She wished she could take the words back the moment she saw the pain in her uncle's eye. He knew better than anyone what her father was capable of. She may have lost her mother, her father, and a bit of confidence before she could even talk, but Alan lost so much more.

He lost his sister, whom he had known for years. He lost her, his parents, and from what she's heard, a piece of himself. Yet he pulled through every day to provide for the two of them with such a mediocre job. He never blamed anyone, at least not openly, for his problems.

"Alan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, you're stressed and you have every right to be. I probably wouldn't have reacted much better," he states sagely and he pulls Kyla up out of the chair and into a hug.

It didn't make her feel better because she knew he would react better than her. He knew how to take problems standing up and just learning to deal with the pain, reminding her how he was twice the person she could ever be. It was one of these moments she wanted nothing more than to get away from him. She loved Alan dearly, but she couldn't live in this constant seriousness, pain, and emotion. It was selfish seeing everything he has done for her, but she needed to get away. She also couldn't help but feel that she was a constant reminder of what he lost and he was a constant reminder to her that he needs someone else in his life to make _him _happy.

Happiness was one thing Kyla and Alan could no longer provide for each other.

~ATOPAL~

Kyla has never been so happy yet so terrified to head back to school. She wanted to see her friends again, but she dreaded having to face the glares from Gryffindors, terrified looks from the Hufflepuffs, whispers and skeptical looks from the Ravenclaws, and the sneers and taunts from the Slytherins. For the past two years, she tried to keep her head down and keep a low profile. Well, being Sirius Black's daughter it wasn't in her nature not to draw attention to herself, but thankfully people have been too wrapped up in Harry Potter to pay attention to her. But all the unwanted attention would for once be directed off of Harry and onto her. It was completely unfair for people to judge her because of her father, but she knew it would happen.

The ride to King's Cross was silent and awkward. But Alan kissed her forehead and let her through the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾. She searched around for her friends, but unfortunately she couldn't find any of them. However, her mood perked up when she heard a voice behind her.

"Honestly, I thought _I_ get nervous easily."

Kyla whipped around and saw her bushy-haired friend Hermione Granger looking half-exasperated and half-amused. Kyla squealed with delight and hugged her friend.

"Are you okay? I heard about…" her voice trailed off. She new Hermione was talking about her father but didn't want to push too much because she knew Kyla would be upset by it. Out of everyone in their group of four, Hermione was the one with the most tact.

"My father's breakout, I know," said Kyla deadpanned.

"Just so you know, I don't think any less of you because of him," said Hermione, earnestly.

_But everyone else will, _thought Kyla resentfully. But she kept this to herself.

"Have you seen Harry or Ron around?" asked Kyla.

"Ron's already waiting at the train. He said his father wanted to have a small talk with Harry so Harry should be here in a few minutes," explained Hermione.

"Okay, just go meet Ron on the train, I need to… uh… get some more stuff from Alan's car," Kyla lied.

"But I thought you had-"

"I missed something just go ahead," Kyla said in a slightly nervous tone.

Hermione still looked suspicious, but decided not to argue. That's a first. Kyla slipped back to find Mr. Weasley behind a pillar talking in a hushed tone to Harry.

"Harry, swear to me that you won't go looking for Black," said Mr. Weasley in a hushed tone. Kyla closed her eyes and tried to control her emotions. This was about her father. She should have known but it still hurt that her father might try to come after Harry.

"What!?" exclaimed Harry. "Why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?"

That was another punch in the gut. Harry didn't know because Kyla never told him her father betrayed his parents. At some point she knew she had to tell him, but will Harry knowing the truth worth possibly losing his friendship?

"Just whatever you hear promise you won't be reckless. And one other thing, please be careful around… _her,_" said Mr. Weasley urgently.

"Who is 'her'?" asked Harry, slightly annoyed.

"Ron, the twins, and Ginny told me one of your best friends is Black's daughter," explained Mr. Weasley. Kyla had to cover her mouth with both her hands to keep herself from gasping with surprise and hurt.

"Yeah, so?" said Harry, annoyance making another appearance in his voice.

"So, Ron hasn't had a high opinion of her for a while-"

"Ron and Kyla just didn't get along the first two years. They're friends now!" said Harry, his voice rising.

"I know but… the Ministry thinks she had something to do with Black's breakout. I don't completely believe it's possible, but the Blacks are unpredictable and masters at manipulation-"

"You've never even met Kyla!" exclaimed Harry, now sounding angry.

"I know but, Sirius Black managed to fool the entire Wizarding World that he was better than the rest of his family only to turn out the worst of all of them. I don't want his daughter doing that to you," Mr. Weasley explained.

"She's my best friend. She would _never _betray me," growled Harry.

Despite how much Mr. Weasley's words hurt, she was grateful that Harry was sticking up for her. But it won't last long when he finds out the truth.

"I'm just saying…" Kyla didn't stick around to hear any more. Mr. Weasley didn't trust her. She had prayed that the Weasleys might have some faith in her, but she was proven wrong. If the Weasleys didn't trust her, who would?

Another dreaded thought creeped into her mind. Would Ron be the first friend to leave her? Or worse, would he convince Harry and Hermione that a friendship with Kyla Black wasn't worth having? She tried to push the thought out of her head. Kyla Black and Ron Weasley weren't exactly friends for the first two years. He judged her because of who her father was, and how she treated Harry the first two months of first year. Harry often took Ron's side when it came to having rows with Kyla, until Halloween of 1991 when Harry and Ron saved her and Hermione from a ten-foot troll. Harry and Kyla managed to become friends, but Ron and Kyla couldn't put aside their differences. They argued so much throughout the rest of first year, but tried to make an agreement not to hate one another. That did not last long since they battled it out-not literally-all of second year only to come together when Ron's sister, Ginny, got dragged to the Chamber of Secrets and the three of them went down there to save her. Worrying and waiting for Harry to come out alive had been the worst night of her life. But it was also the night Ron and Kyla finally became friends.

_**Flashback to Second Year**_

_Things couldn't possibly have been worse. If Kyla Black had a list of things she would rather be doing to finish her second year, sitting on a jagged rock in the Chamber of Secrets watching her frenemy Ron Weasley go berserk, listening to her idiotic DADA teacher Gilderoy Lockhart ask stupid questions, her best girl friend Hermione Granger petrified, her other sort-of friend Ginny Weasley trapped down in the Chamber of Secrets, and worrying about her other best friend Harry Potter who may or may not come out alive from fighting a damned Basilisk would definitely __**not **__be on list._

_Tired of watching Ron drive himself mad, Kyla finally spoke up._

"_Ron, would you calm down? Having a panic attack is not going to help Harry's case!" exclaimed Kyla. Ron turned around and glared at her._

"_You aren't the slightest bit worried?" he growled._

"_I _am _worried! Actually I'm losing my mind just thinking about him!" she growled back to Ron._

"_You don't look it," he said skeptically._

"_I don't wear my emotions on my sleeves," said Kyla._

"_It's not a bad thing you know. It just shows you care which right now, I'm not getting that from you," said Ron._

"_Well I don't like it when people know what I'm feeling. It just makes me vulnerable," she stated glumly._

"_What are you talking about?" asked Ron, not sounding interested._

"_I grew up in neighborhood where the minute you showed the slightest sign of weakness, it just comes back to bite you in the arse," Kyla explained._

"_Well in case you haven't noticed, you are in your neighborhood anymore. You're in Hogwarts where children learn magic and are safe," said Ron as though it were obvious._

"_Oh yeah it's __**very**_ _safe with Basilisks slithering around petrifying innocent students and literal two-faced teachers hiding Voldemort-Oh get a grip!" Kyla yelled as Ron flinched at Voldemort's name._

"_My point is, even here I can't seem to let the slightest bit of emotion show without being judged. So I make sure to mask my emotions," explained Kyla._

"_Well you should knock it off. If you continue to act like some sarcastic, moody, emotionally-resistant robot people are going to completely overlook some of your best qualities," said Ron._

"_Well right now I don't give a-what?" asked Kyla._

"_I said, if you continue to act like this Ice Princess, people will completely overlook your good qualities," Ron repeated. _

"_You actually acknowledged my good qualities. I thought you could only see my flaws," said Kyla, dumbfound._

"_Well, I thought _you_ only focused on _my_ bad qualities too," said Ron._

"_Well, you've mostly shown me your bad side," explained Kyla._

"_So have you," said Ron. "But despite that, I admire how you can see things Harry, Hermione, and I miss, how you can keep a cool head in rough situations, how you're willing to stand up for your friends, and how you have the bravery to come down to this, uh… claustrophobic, and… sticky chamber," confessed Ron._

"_Well, despite the fact that you've been an absolute prat to me, I admire how you're willing to sacrifice yourself for what's right, how you're incredibly loyal to your friends, how you're willing to face your fears the way you did with the spiders in the Forbidden Forest-" Ron shuddered at the reminder. "But I also love the dedication you have for your family, especially your sister. She's a sweet girl," confessed Kyla._

"_She may be a pain in the arse, but she's family and couldn't live with myself if I let her die down here," said Ron sorrowfully._

"_It's not your fault she's trapped in Slytherin's second dungeon," said Kyla, attempting to be comforting._

"_But it __**feels**_ _like it's my fault. I'm her older brother. It's my job to protect her. Mum and Dad didn't even have to tell me. I just knew," said Ron, looking at Kyla with something that wasn't disgust or anger, but genuine worry and desperation._

"_I'm kind of jealous of you," said Kyla._

"_Jealous of __**me**__? Why __**me**__?" asked Ron, staring at her as though she just spoke Swedish._

"_You have a family. You have nurturing parents, fun-loving brothers, bar Percy, and a little sister. All of them may drive you nuts, but you know you're loved," said Kyla, with as much sincerity as she could muster._

"_But I always have to compete for attention at home. All my brothers are so accomplished and my sister is the first girl in the family so, everyone tends to forget about me. My Mum can't even remember my favorite colors and foods!" exclaimed Ron. _

"_You're family hasn't forgotten about you. I swear I've spoken to Fred and George and they said they were going bonkers the minute they heard you went to save the Philosopher's Stone with Harry, Hermione, and I," said Kyla._

"_They did? I didn't think they cared because they pick on me all the time," said Ron, hardly believing the words Kyla was saying to him._

"_It's what brothers do. Trust me I've seen enough sibling interactions to know that they drive each other nuts, but in the end, they care about you," said Kyla._

"_They always give me a hard time though. I'm usually the target to Fred and George's pranks," grumbled Ron._

"_I would take that any day over having an emotionally beaten-down, but well-meaning uncle. I love Alan I do, but there's so much sadness in our house. From what I've heard and seen from your family, there's always love bursting from every inch of every member. And you have a little sister to look up to you and for you to protect," says Kyla._

"_She looks up to Bill and Charlie more than she does me. Hell she even look up to the twins and Percy more than she does me! As much I'd like for her to look at me with pride and admiration, she gives all of that to my other brothers. She doesn't look at me that way. She looks at me like I'm just another burden to the family," says Ron, as if he wanted to say this for years._

"_She may not act like it, but she's a little sister and sisters never tell their brothers outright that they admire them. I've had some chats with her and she thinks you're the bravest brother she has," says Kyla. Ron once again gaped at Kyla._

"_She-she said that?" asked Ron._

"_Yes, but do __**not **__let her know I told you. She will kill me if she finds out," said Kyla with a half-hearted chuckle. But Ron wasn't in a laughing mood._

"_If Harry doesn't come out, she won't be alive to kill you," said Ron solemnly. Kyla stopped smiling._

"_Another reason I'm jealous of you is because you have a little sister to keep you going. You have someone to love and protect. I hear about so many people who have little brothers and sisters that they feel obligated to protect and care about. I feel like I'm missing out on that part in life," Kyla admitted._

"_I've never thought of it that way," Ron said, pondering her words. _

_This entire conversation was incredibly awkward yet enlightening to both Ron and Kyla. They have been at each others' throats last year and even more so this year. And here they were having a conversation where they weren't yelling insults or aiming low blows at each other. Not only that, but they're actually discussing __**feelings**__ with each other. Not just any old feelings but, deep, hidden, and incredibly personal feelings neither dreamed they would ever share with each other. Kyla began to see him as someone other than a judgmental, hot-tempered prat and Ron began to see her as someone other than the Gryffindor Ice Princess. They were both human with too many flaws, but somehow both were able to recognize the goodness that is buried beneath the surface. God they have been locked down here __**far **__too long! _

_Finally Kyla decided to break the silence._

"_Do you want to know a secret?" asked Kyla._

"_Sure," said Ron, this time genuinely interested._

"_According to Alan, my mother was having another baby on the way. She was pregnant again in July of 1981. The baby was going to be due in March of the following year. But then the war happened, my father turned out to be a traitor, and he…" Kyla's voice trailed off and she closed her eyes to prevent tears from falling._

"_He killed her along with Pettigrew and twelve innocent muggles," said Ron, lowly._

_Kyla took a deep breath before continuing. "I was going to have a little brother or sister. But now I'll never know because my mother was killed before he or she was even born," said Kyla her voice cracking. This time tears fell down her face, but she brushed at them furiously refusing to let herself break down when there were more important matters at hand. She just wished she could have a normal family like everyone else._

_**Get a grip, **__she thought. She couldn't dwell on what wasn't possible. She wasn't normal, her family wasn't normal nor would they ever be. She needed to accept that. Except, it was easier said than done._

_Ron felt uncomfortable now. He could barely handle it when his sister or Hermione cried. But dealing with someone who had only just started to be nice to him crying was definitely not a situation he signed up for. He knew tact was not his strong point, but he tried not to say anything yet. This girl was opening up to him and trusting him not to throw it back in her face. If she could try to be nice to him he could do the same for her._

"_I think you would've been a good older sister," said Ron, awkwardly. Kyla's head snapped up and she was giving him a look as though he just spoke Spanish._

"_You think so," said Kyla._

"_You have the determination and dedication to protect her. And I can tell you would guide her in the right direction. I'm not going to lie, you're still lacking the kindness for dealing with children, but there is no doubt that you'd love them and do anything for them," said Ron._

_Kyla managed a weak smile and added, "Do you think we could try to be friends?"_

_Ron blinked a couple of times before registering what Kyla had just asked of him. "Where did that come from all of a sudden?"_

"_I just think we should try. The only reason we've been butting heads this year is refusal to put aside our differences and that we're more alike than we'd like to admit. I think now that we've closed some distance we could attempt it," suggested Kyla._

"_Are you sure we're ready for that? We barely tolerated each other this year," stated Ron, warily._

"_If we can't do it for each other, can we at least do it for Harry and Hermione's sake?" asked Kyla._

"_Yeah, I think it would be good for Harry and Hermione's sanity," said Ron, truly smiling now._

_**End of Flashback**_

Kyla prayed Ron wouldn't forget about that conversation down in the Chamber. He had allowed her to see a different side of him just like she let him. She wasn't quite ready to let go of that yet. She heard Hermione calling her name and she snapped back to reality. Kyla ran to catch up to her and found Ron standing there grinning.

"Hey, I missed you over the summer," said Ron, genuinely pleased this time to see her.

"I missed you too, Red," said Kyla returning the smile. Ron playfully rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"You're not going to start calling me that, are you?" he asked. Kyla simply shrugged her shoulders

"Maybe, maybe not," she said.

The three of them continued to talk about their holidays. Well, Ron and Hermione did most of the talking. Hermione talked about her family's trip to Italy and how beautiful it was. Ron was ecstatic to talk about his trip to Egypt and how Fred and George tried to shove Percy into a pyramid. Kyla laughed at that and Hermione simply rolled her eyes at her friends' antics. The conversation grew awkward when they asked Kyla how her summer was. She didn't have much to talk about other than the fact that Alan befriended a woman named Linda Grace and was becoming happier. Ron and Hermione knew there was more to her summer, most she didn't want to talk about, but thankfully they didn't press. It wasn't long until Harry joined them and the four friends boarded the Hogwarts.

Harry told his three friends the story of how he blew up his rotten Aunt Marge because she insulted his parents. Ron and Kyla were highly amused; Hermione…not so much

"Mate, that is bloody brilliant!" Ron laughed heartily.

"It is _not_ brilliant! Harry you could've been expelled!" Hermione stated, shrilly.

"But I wasn't. Come on Hermione, it could've been much worse," said Harry, trying to get his uptight friend to smile.

"It could've been better. You need to learn to keep your emotions under control when using magic. They can cause a lot of trouble," Hermione lectured.

"Just give him a break. Besides, Mouthy Marge wasn't exactly innocent," said Kyla. Ron and Harry chuckled at nickname while Hermione just sighed in exasperation.

"You know what, fine. Let's take this compartment here."

Kyla entered the compartment with her friends to find a man sleeping in there. He looked quite old with hair that was already turning grey. His skin was sickly pale, his skin was wrinkled, and he looked as though he hadn't gotten that much sleep. And it also looked as though his spent the night before roaming the woods.

"Who's this?" asked Ron.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," said Hermione.

"How did you know that? How do you know everything?" asked Ron, exasperated.

"It's on his suitcase," Hermione said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ron looked embarrassed and Kyla couldn't help but laugh at his expense.

"I see your observation skills are a _little_ slow," Kyla teased him.

"You haven't changed one bit," Ron muttered.

Kyla and her friends spent the rest of the train ride talking about Hogsmeade. Kyla heard a lot about it and was excited to see it for the first time. Ron was excited about all the wonderful sweets they'll have and Hermione was more interested in the historical sites to see. Ron and Hermione playfully bickered about which would be more interesting while Kyla and Harry exchanged amused looks. Eventually Kyla got them to stop their "debate of the day" as she liked to call it. Harry told them the unfortunate news that he didn't get his permission slip signed and couldn't go to Hogsmeade. Ron, Hermione, and Kyla were predictably disappointed but he assured them it would be fine. Unfortunately the light-hearted atmosphere dissipated when Harry brought up the one topic Kyla wanted so desperately to avoid: Sirius Black.

He explained to them how Sirius was out to kill him and how he was Voldemort's second-in-command. Ron and Hermione were absolutely terrified and Kyla stared out the window, not wanting to approach the subject. Eventually she had to tell Harry what her father did to his parents, but she wasn't ready to risk losing him yet. Much to her dismay, Harry dragged her into the conversation.

"Wait, Sirius _Black? _In first year, didn't you say he was your father?" asked Harry. Kyla's face went pale when Ron and Hermione's heads swiveled in her direction.

"Yes," she muttered and turned her head away expecting the worst.

"Well that's _not_ your fault," said Hermione in a firm tone. Kyla looked back to them and Harry and Ron nodded in agreement. She remembered when they first found out about her father, they always looked at her like they were expecting her to blow at any moment and now they were so firm in getting her to believe that anything her father has done has nothing to do with her

"Thanks. It would be so much easier if everyone they way you three do. Most people would have left the minute they found out," said Kyla miserably.

"Do we look like _most people_?" asked Harry. Kyla smiled and shook her head.

"No. You three are some of the craziest people I've ever met," said Kyla, smirking.

"Well you aren't exactly normal. You have visions for Merlin's sake!" exclaimed Ron, exasperated.

"Speaking of that, have you had any visions lately?" asked Hermione.

"No, well, except for one. First what happened was-"

Before Kyla could finish her sentence the train stopped moving.

"Are we there yet?" asked Ron, warily.

"We can't be. The train must've broken down," said Hermione.

"Oh wonderful," said Kyla, sarcastically.

Suddenly the lights flickered and then they were placed into complete darkness. Soon shouts echoed from the other compartments

"Hey what's happening!" exclaimed Ron.

"Wait! This was part of the vision I had! The train broke down, the lights went out and… and…"

"And what? What happened!?"

"Let me finish Ron! The lights went out and Ginny and Neville came into our compartment…"

As if on cue, the door slid open and the sound of two voices reached their ears.

"Ginny is that you?"

"Yes it's me. Is that you Kyla?"

"Yes."

"How did you know it was me?"

"This was in a vision. You and Neville came into the compartment and-"

There was a loud hissing noise and the sound of Neville shrieking in pain.

"Ah yes. Neville tries to sit on Crookshanks and gets scratched."

"Y'know, if the lights weren't out and the train didn't stop I would've laughed at that," said Ron.

"Ginny you sat on me!" exclaimed Harry.

"Sorry Harry! I can't see where I'm going!" Ginny exclaimed.

"It's fine. Kyla, what happens next?"

"I…uh…I don't know! Something tries to come into the compartment and that's when the vision ends!" exclaims Kyla.

"Of course! When we need your vision the most, it ends on the most important part!" exclaims Ron, annoyed.

"Well excuse _me, _I don't have any pause, play, or stop buttons on my visions, Ronald!" Kyla yelled back at him, equally annoyed, but not so much at him as she was at herself for not being able to control her visions.

Soon the atmosphere grew unusually cold and the compartment door slid open. There stood a hooded figure that gave the smell of rotting flesh, the sense of utter darkness and despair, and instilled fear into the six frightened teenagers. Kyla recognized it as a Dementor. Cold was rising in Kyla's chest and it was becoming harder and harder for her to breathe. She soon began hearing screams echoing in her ears and people begging to be released. She knew that she was replaying her memories from Azkaban when she visited her father. It was agonizing hearing all those people lose their sanity and beg for help. Some even tried to beg _her_ for help.

Her flashback was cut short when Harry's arm, which she didn't realize she was gripping, fell out of her grasp. He collapsed onto the floor and began twitching and moaning. Panic shot through her and she began shaking Harry, begging him to snap out of it. She repeated called his name over and over, and suddenly Professor Lupin stood up and an odd-shaped silvery wisp came out of his wand. The horrid creature then left the compartment. The air warmed up, the cold was slowly leaving Kyla's chest, and she was able to breathe again.

Her attention was turned back to Harry whom Hermione was trying to slap awake.

"Harry! Harry! Wake up!" she exclaimed. Harry instantly snapped awake when Hermione slapped him again.

Harry grumbled something under his breath before sitting up with what seemed to be a massive headache.

"Are you okay?" asked Ron.

"Yeah I'm fine. What was that thing? And who was screaming?" asked Harry.

"No one was screaming, Harry," said Hermione, confused.

"But I heard a woman screaming," said Harry, whose voice was still raspy. Kyla sighed. She had an idea about what Harry was remembering and honestly, the thought saddened her.

"Harry that thing you saw was a Dementor. In its presence, it feeds on happiness and makes you replay your worst memories," Kyla explained, sullenly.

"How did you know that?" asked Ron, voicing the question everyone was thinking. Kyla wished she hadn't spoken because now she'd have to tell them she visited her father in Azkaban, and then she'll probably have to tell them her name has been ruined with the Ministry because the visit to Azkaban marked her as their number one suspect of helping Sirius out of Azkaban. This was so _not_ her day today.

"I found out about them when…when…"

"When what?" asked Hermione.

"When I visited my father in Azkaban," admitted Kyla and their reactions were exactly the way she'd imagine them to be. Hermione gasped, Ron yelled, 'You did what!?', and Harry looked like he didn't know what to say.

"What possessed you to do _that?_" asked Ron, looking like she just came up with the idea to jump into a dark hole creeping with spiders.

"It wasn't _my _idea!" snapped Kyla. "Andromeda _dearest_ thought it would be best to see my father at least once. Since her daughter, Dora, is now a full-trained Auror, I was allowed admittance into Azkaban to see my father once."

"What was it like in Azkaban?" asked Harry.

"Okay now _that _I will not answer. It's too horrible for me to talk about. But anyway back to Dementors. That woman you heard screaming, you must have heard it at some other point in your life because, like I said, Dementors force you to replay your worst memories," explained Kyla, sadly.

"Oh. What happened after the Dementor came in?" asked Harry, nervously.

"Well — the Dementor — stood there and looked around (I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face) — and you — you —I thought you were having a fit or something," said Ron, who still looked scared. "You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat and started twitching —"

"After that Professor Lupin stood up and muttered a spell that I couldn't quite make out. A small wisp came out of his wand and the Dementor disappeared," said Hermione.

"Did any of you fall out of your seats?" asked Harry, looking embarrassed.

"No, but Ginny was shaking like mad, and Kyla looked like she wanted to throw up," explained Ron.

Harry nodded his head but looked embarrassed by the fact that he was the only one who fainted. Kyla tried to explain to him that it's not uncommon for someone to have a terrible reaction to Dementors, but Harry still didn't look convinced. Remus Lupin gave Harry a piece of chocolate, saying that it helps around Dementors. Once Ginny and Neville left the compartment, the rest of the train ride passed with awkward silence and was pretty uneventful until Scabbers, Ron's pet rat went missing.

"Hey where's Scabbers? Hermione I swear if that mad cat ate him-"

"Crookshanks wouldn't _eat _Scabbers! It's in a cat's nature to chase rodents, why is that so hard for you to accept?" exclaimed Hermione, exasperated.

"Because _your_ cat keeps coming after _my _pet rat, and you are not doing _anything _to prevent it!" Ron argued back.

"Can you two argue later!?" exclaimed Harry. "I'll help you find Scabbers and you can go at each at another time when-"

"Ron, I think I found your rat," said Lupin.

"Where?" asked Ron.

Lupin looked at Kyla and pointed down. Kyla at first shot him a confused look, but her confusion was replaced with fear when she heard a small squeak. The bloody rat was on her foot! Kyla let out a blood-curdling scream and she kicked out, sending Scabbers flying to the other side of the compartment with an uncomfortable thud. Kyla found herself scooting into a corner in the compartment before she bumped into Harry, and he grabbed hold of her arms, almost protectively.

"What the bloody hell Kyla! You could've killed him!" exclaimed Ron.

"_Me? _What was _your _rat doing out of its cage?" Kyla yelled back.

"I don't know, but why did you kick him across the compartment?" asked Ron, exasperated.

"I…well you see…I have this small problem with…"

"Rats?" asked Harry.

"Rat, possums, ferrets, anything rodent related, but primarily rats!" exclaimed Kyla, hyperventilating slightly. Kyla turned to Harry to see he had a small grin tugging at the side of his lips.

"Kyla Black, the girl who uses sarcasm more than anyone I have ever met, and will throw herself head-first into any challenge that faces her, is afraid of rats," Harry teased.

"You would be too if one crawled up your arm while you were sleeping!" Kyla hissed.

"When did that happen?" asked Hermione.

"It's a long story," said Kyla.

"Do you want to tell us about it?" asked Harry.

"I'll only give you this: never make any bets where you'll sleep underground if you lose," she explained.

Everyone looked confused, but she was grateful when they once again didn't press.

During one of the more light-hearted times with her and Alan Cambridge, they made a deal that if Alan could run around the block three times in five minutes or less, Kyla would spend one night in the cellar. Alan won the bet and Kyla slept in the cellar that night. It wasn't too bad, and thankfully it was during the summertime so she didn't need to cover up too much. However when she woke up, the biggest, most disgusting black rat was crawling on her arm and she screamed so loud the neighbors could hear. Alan tried to console her while she sobbed against his chest, completely traumatized. The neighbors were quite annoyed that Kyla woke them up because they all thought she was being murdered. Then, this event led to a full scale investigation as to why Alan Cambridge's niece was sleeping in the cellar. It took several hours for Kyla to convince them that no one made her sleep there and that she chose to. Alan didn't get punished, but neighbors never looked at him the same way again.

Kyla finally took her mind off of the flashback when the train finally arrived at the station. All the students filed into the carriage and Kyla, Harry, Ron, and Hermione took one for themselves. By the time the carriages arrived at the castle, everyone filed out. The four friends were still talking about many random topics like Quidditch, classes, what kind of adventure might come their way, and then an arrogant, snooty voice drawled from behind them.

"You _fainted, _Potter? Is what Longbottom said true? You actually _fainted_?" the voice taunted, condescendingly.

The four Gryffindors whipped around to find Draco Malfoy and his useless, mindless cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, smirking smugly at them. He had been their enemy since first year and Malfoy loved to torment Harry especially, simply because Harry was smart enough not to befriend a prejudiced arsehole like him. What made matters worse is that Draco Malfoy and Kyla Black were _cousins. _His mother and her father were first cousins, which made Malfoy and Kyla second cousins. Both of them hated being related, and it was the only thing they would openly agree on.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron spat.

"What happened, Weasley? Did you faint too? Did the Dementor scare you?" taunted Malfoy.

"What's going on here?" asked a male voice. Malfoy turned around to see it was Professor Lupin.

"Oh, no, Professor," said Malfoy stuttering before turning away and smirking at Crabbe and Goyle. Thankfully the three Slytherins walked away and left them alone.

The four friends joined the rest of the Gryffindors as they filed into the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall called Harry and Hermione to see her in her office. Kyla and Ron entered the Great Hall confused but Kyla's mind went elsewhere when she could feel stares boring into her and she could hear whispers behind her back. She knew this would happen, but it didn't mean she wanted to endure it.

She turned her head to see two Ravenclaw girls talking in a hushed tone and she swore she heard one of them whisper, "That's _her. _Sirius Black's daughter." Their voices were filled with disgust, as though they were talking about some sewer rats. They quickly turned their heads away when they saw her looking at them.

She passed a couple of second-year Gryffindors who were also whispering about her. She turned around to look at them, with a hurt expression. They realized she was staring at them and instead of looking away, they sent her ferocious glares that could rival the ones she gave to the people she hated. Ron took notice of this and grew defensive.

"Oi! Don't you idiots have better things to do?" Ron exclaimed angrily. The Gryffindors' glares slipped off their faces and turned back to their table. Kyla sullenly dropped into a seat next to Parvati Patil, who scooted as far away from her as possible and began to talk, possibly about her, to Lavender Brown.

"Even my own roommates hate me," grumbled Kyla.

"Don't let it get to you," said Ron, in a kind manner she never expected to hear from him.

"It's easier said than done. And why are defending me?" asked Kyla.

"Isn't that what friends do?" asked Ron, as though it were obvious.

"Well then how come you pretty much argued with me throughout the train ride?" asked Kyla, skeptically.

"Let's say this: you're like an annoying little sister who gets under your skin, but has her perks. And me, being your substitute brother, can give you crap all I want, but no one else can," said Ron, not missing a beat

"Who or what did you recite that from?" asked Kyla, smirking.

"Fred and George said it to me when I was nine. This playground bully tried to hang me upside down from the monkey bars, and Fred and George used some magic to pull a prank on him," said Ron, smiling at the memory.

"What did they do?" asked Kyla, trying to contain her laughter.

"I don't fully remember, but all I know there was a lot of vomiting and/or crying from the bully," said Ron, beaming. Kyla couldn't contain her laughter. She always loved stories where a tormentor gets his or her just-desserts, because she always wanted to stand up to Rachel Hills and her dumb-as-a-doorknob wannabe crew, and not have it blow up in her face.

"Those two are brilliant," said Kyla, through laughter.

"They are, when they're not tormenting _me,_" admitted Ron, fondly.

"Well _I _will when they aren't," said Kyla, grinning.

"No _you _won't be," Ron asserted.

"Well you just claimed me as another little sister, so tormenting you is in the job description," said Kyla with the Cheshire cat grin spreading across her face.

Ron grumbled something indecipherable, but it didn't spoil her mood. Later, Harry and Hermione rejoined Kyla and Ron. Kyla wanted to know what they did to get in trouble, but they said they weren't in trouble. Hermione needed to speak to McGonagall about her school schedule this year, and Harry was one snap away from spending the night in the Hospital Wing because of the Dementor incident. The rest of the night was quite uneventful, except for when Professor Dumbledore announced Hagrid, Hogwarts' Gamekeeper, was going to teach Care of Magical Creatures for third years and up, and when he announced Professor Lupin as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. By the time dinner was over Kyla entered her common room, but her cheerful mood was snuffed out when several of her fellow Gryffindors began to whisper behind her.

"Ignore it," said Hermione.

"I can't. They're acting like it's my fault my father broke out," whispered Kyla, harshly. She did not add _'and it very well might be' _at the end of her sentence.

"Well, _we _know it isn't, and we are not going anywhere," said Harry, firmly.

"You guys are too good to me," said Kyla, sadly. _Especially you Harry, _she added mentally.

"What kind of friends would we be if we _weren't _good to you?" asked Hermione.

"Good point," said Kyla.

Harry and Ron retreated to the Boys' Dormitory, while Kyla and Hermione went to the Girls' Dormitory. Kyla knew this was going to be a difficult year, but right now, she can take some comfort in knowing her friends are on her side. _Yeah, if I manage to even have them by the end of the year._


End file.
